The atmosphere on the field was tense for the Big Green (8-3, 4-1 Ivy), both due to the significance of the game and the severe weather conditions, as a torrential downpour continued throughout most of the matchup.
"It was the most rain I've ever played in," Shannie MacKenzie '11 said.
MacKenzie also expressed her frustration that the scoreboard did not accurately reflect her team's abilities.
"We are the better team," she said. "If we had played our game and not tightened up, we would have won."
Penn (9-3, 5-0 Ivy) outshot Dartmouth 26-20, with Dartmouth's Kristen Giovanniello '14 and Penn junior Emily Leitner both recording nine saves in net.
The game started off in Dartmouth's favor, with both Sarah Plumb '12 and Kat Collins '11 scoring unassisted goals for an early 2-0 lead. Penn fought back with a goal from senior Giulia Giordano, but Dartmouth responded with two more goals one from Collins and another from Kirsten Goldberg '12 off of an assist from Hana Bowers '13 to increase the lead to 4-1.
MacKenzie said the team's chemistry was solid at the start of the game.
"I think that when we first came out, everyone was excited and on the same page," she said. "It was very emotional and hyped."
The Quakers proceeded to call a timeout, after which they came out revitalized and ready to play. Although a goal from Greta Meyer '11 broke up its subsequent four-goal run, Penn still managed to tie the score at 5-5.
Sarah Parks '12 one-upped Penn with four seconds on the clock to give the Big Green a one-goal buffer moving into the second half, leaving the score 6-5.
The Quaker's subsequent comeback shook up the Big Green so that it stopped playing to its full potential, according to MacKenzie.
"People started getting nervous and playing tight, which is what did us in in the end," MacKenzie said.
Big Green players started focusing on individual play rather than on team play as a whole, which caused the team chemistry to suffer.
"We were not working together and connecting like we do when we are being most successful," MacKenzie said. "People started to try to do it alone, which is probably a result of them wanting it so badly."
During halftime, Dartmouth established several goals for the second half, such as staying aware of off-ball cutters, taking control of draws and limiting turnovers.
While the Big Green achieved the first two goals, it had trouble containing Penn's turnovers.
Penn immediately scored three goals after the start of the second half, earning an 8-6 lead. After the teams exchanged goals to make the score 9-7, Plumb tallied her third score of the game, bringing Dartmouth to a one-goal disadvantage.
After a 10-minute stalemate, Collins tore through the midfield and set up Goldberg, who successfully capitalized on the opportunity to tie the game.
Just one minute later, Penn sophomore Caroline Bunting scored to re-take the lead, 10-9.
Dartmouth fought back as the clock dwindled down, but the team could not respond before the final buzzer signaled the end of the game.
MacKenzie expressed her disappointment that the team did not make the most of its opportunities in the final minutes of play.
"We had a ton of looks on goal, but the defense and offense were not making the best decisions," she said. "We sort of threw away everything that we had been taught about preparing for this kind of situation."
The Big Green will not dwell on this heart-breaker, however, as it now turns its focus toward its match-up against Princeton University on Saturday.
"We have to rebound quickly," MacKenzie said.
If Princeton beats Penn on Wednesday and Dartmouth beats Princeton on Saturday, the Big Green will still have a shot at sharing the League title.
MacKenzie said a win against Princeton is still important to build momentum going into the League tournament and to boost the team's chances of being an NCAA wildcard.
